Stair railing



STAIR RAILING Filed Aug. 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Erazztr Alba-r1 E. Bush/er Jan. 23, 1962 A. E. BUEHLER STAIR RAILING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11, 1959 A/berv E. Bue/r/er- VII/4712 United States This invention relates to railing and particularly to supports for stair handrail posts.

The invention will be specifically hereinafter described in connection with side stringer mountings for handrail posts but it should be understood that the invention is not limited for use With any particular type of stringer.

This invention provides a post support having a narrow base strip which is readily secured to any type of stair stringer including channel iron, wood, or concrete stringers. This narrow base strip carries, adjacent the ends thereof, a pair of collars with aligned apertures for receiving a post. The collars are equipped with set screws to bite into the post to secure the post in fixed position. Screws secure the collars to the base strip, and spacers, such as washers, can be interposed between the base strip and the collar to vary the amount of projection of the collars from the base strip. Cap screws between the collars secure the base strip to the stringer and are readily accessible.

A feature of the invention is the provision of the supporting collars at a maximum distance from each other so as to increase the vertical post mounting stability thereof.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of fasteners for securing the base strip to the stringer at locations between the collars so that the strip can be relatively narrow.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a wide degree of vertical adjustment for the post to accommodate variations in handrail levels.

A still further feature of the invention is the provision of adjustable collars on a base strip which can be rotated to accommodate misalignments in any given installation.

Another feature of the invention resides in on-thejob adjustability for stair railing installations to accommodate misalignments, variations in designs and the like by coupling the stringer mountings of this invention with adjustable rail mountings on the posts.

It is then an object of this invention to provide stair railing hardware which is readily adjustable to accommodate variations in installations and which provides rigid supports for handrailings.

Another object of this invention is to provide a side stringer mounting for stair railing which affords maximum support rigidity in minimum space and is easy to install.

A specific object of this invention is to provide a side stringer mounting for handrail posts which is easily installed on a stringer and has spaced apart collars for adjustably receiving a handrail supporting post at any desired level.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a stringer mounting and handrail post assembly of attractive design with a minimum amount of metal affording a maximum degree of strength.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a side stringer mounting having a narrow base strip adapted to be easily mounted on a stair stringer of any design or material and carrying aligned collars which snugly receive a stair post therethrough and carry the post at any desired level.

Another object is to provide a stair post of hollow configuration with thin side walls and thick end walls to better serve functions of being supported by a stringer mounting and in turn supporting a handrail mounting.

"atent ice Other further features and objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheets of drawings which, by way of preferred example only, illustrate one embodiment of the invention:

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a stairway equipped with stair railing and stringer mountings according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional View, with parts in end elevation, taken along the line IIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view taken along the line Iii-HI of FIGURE 2 and showing in dotted lines the adjustable feature of the handrail mounting on the supporting post;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the post mounting of this invention on a channel type stringer such as is shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a view partly in cross section and partly in end elevation taken along the line VV of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIGURE 5; and

FlGURE 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the stringer mounting of this invention showing the adjustability of the mounting collar on the base strip.

As shown on the drawings:

In FIGURE 1, the reference numeral 10 designates generally a stairway supported on a channel beam type stringer 11 and having a handrail 12 carried on posts 13 from stringer mountings 14- of this invention. The posts 13 are connected to the handrail 12 by means of adjustable supports 14, more fully illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the handrail 12 has a T'slot 15 along the length thereof which is open at the fiat bottom 16 of the handrail. The T-slot has a head portion 15a and a neck portion 15b joining the head portion with the fiat bottom 16. Flat internal shoulders 17 are provided between the head and leg portions of the slot and are opposed to the fiat bottom 16 of the handrail. The handrail can be composed of extruded aluminum or the like and is preferably of solid cross section except for the slot 15 therethrough. An L-shaped bracket 18 has a fiat head or top flange 13a underlying the fiat bottom 15 of the handrail and a narrower central depending leg portion 18b. The end portions of the head or flange 18a are apertured to receive screws 19, which are threaded into a T-shaped metal strip 20 fitting the slot 15 of the handrail 12. This T-shaped strip 20 has head and leg portions respectively fitting the head 15a and the leg 15b of the slot 15 and cooperating to provide shoulders 21 resting on the shoulders 17 of the handrail. When the screws 19 are tightened into the strip 20, the head or flange 13a of the L-shaped bracket 18 is drawn tightly against the flat bottom 16 of the handrail 12 and the shoulders 21 of the T-strip 20 are drawn tightly against the shoulders 17 of the handrail. In effect then, the bracket 18 is clamped to the handrail. 12.

The depending leg 18b of the bracket 18 is apertured at the free end thereof to receive a socket head screw 22, which is threaded into a bolt-like spacer element 23. The element 23 in turn has a threaded reduced diameter end portion or stud 23a which is threaded into an end wall of the post 13.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the bracket 18 can be rotated relative to the bolt-spacer member 23 for inclining the rail 12 as desired relative to the post 13. The handrail 12 is thus adjustably mounted on the post, but when the screws 19 and 22 are tightened, the handrail becomes fixedly mounted relative to the post.

As best shown in FIGURES 4 to 7 the stair stringer 11 is composed of channel steel with a fiat central web 3 11a and outwardly projecting top and bottom flanges 11b.

The stringer mountings 14 of this invention, are composed of flat metal strips or plates 24 and metal collars 25 secured to the end portions of the strip 24 by means of screws 26 with flat heads lying flush with the back face of the strip 24. As shown, the collars 25 have generally rectangular hollow outer end portions 25a generally conforming in shape with the post 13 and defining a rectangular aperture snugly receiving the post therethrough. Solid legs or bosses 25b project from the portions 25a and are internally tapped to receive the screws 26.

Spacers, such as washers 27, can be interposed between the base strip 24 and the leg or boss 25b to vary the degree of projection of the collar portion 25a from the base strip and thereby provide any desired adjustment for mounting the post 13 outwardly from the stringer 11. This arrangement also provides for rotation of the collar 25 on the base strip 24, as shown in FIGURE 7, to provide adjustability in accommodating misalignments in any given installation. However, once the screws 26 are tightened, the collars 25 are clamped tightly on the base strip 24 in fixed relation relative thereto.

The collars are mounted on the end portions of the strip 24, and the portion of the strip between the collars is apertured to receive cap screws 28, which are threaded into the web 11a of the stringer for securing the strip fixedly to the stringer.

The portions 25a of the collars .25 have set screws 29 tapped into the side walls thereof in opposed relation for biting into the post '13 to fixedly anchor the post to the collar. As shown in FIGURE 6, the post 13 has thickened end walls 13a and thinner side walls 13b. The set screws bite into the thick end wall portion 13a where they will not cause the post to collapse.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the threaded stud 23a on the spacer-bolt element 23 is also threaded into the thick end wall 13a of the post to aiford maximum support, and the fiat shoulder 23b on this element 23 is thereby tightly bottomed on a substantial solid end wall of the post.

Since the posts 13 are of uniform cross section along their length, they can be locked at any desired level in the collars 25, and since the collars 25 are spaced apart a maximum distance on the strip 14, the post has maximum stability against tilting. Because the cap screws 28 are positioned between the collars 25, the base strip 24 can be very narrow and need not project beyond the sides of the collars.

From the above descriptions it will be understood that this invention provides handrail hardware for mounting posts on stair stringers or the like, and for mounting handrails on posts to afford maximum adjustability and rigidity with a minimum amount of material.

I claim as my invention:

1. A side stringer mounting for stairway handrail posts adapted for use on a channel beam type stair stringer to be carried on the central web thereof between the flanges thereof to carry a post in front of the web and flanges at a selected level which comprises a flat, narrow metal strip adapted to fit freely between the flanges of the channel beam type stringer against the face of the web between the flanges, first bolt holes at the ends of said strip, second bolt holes between said first bolt holes, collars at the ends of the strip projecting therefrom a sufficient distance to carry a post in spaced relation outwardly from the flanges of the channel beam type stringer, screws through said first bolt holes anchoring said collars to the ends of the strip in fixed position when tightened but accommodating rotation of the collars relative to the strip to correct misalignments when loosened, said collars having post receiving apertures therethrough sized to mate with a post to be supported thereby whereby the post will be slidable through the collars, set screws threaded in said collars for anchoring the post at a desired level, and cap screws projecting through the second bolt holes for anchoring the strip to the stair stringer.

2. A stair rail post support for mounting on a stair stringer and adapted for fitting between the flanges of a channel beam type stringer against the web of said channel beam type stringer which comprises a narrow metal base strip having flat faces including a back face for mating with the stair stringer and a front face opposed to the back face, a first pair of bolt holes near the ends of the strip, a second pair of bolt holes in the intermediate portion of the strip, a pair of collars having laterally projecting bosses, first fasteners bottomed on the back face of said strip projecting through said first bolt holes and threaded in the bosses of said collars to unite the collars to the strip in fixed position when tightened and to accommodate rotation of the collars on the strip for correcting misalignments when loosened, the end faces of said bosses and the front face of said strip having confronting flat surfaces adapted to be thrust against opposite sides of spacers surrounding the first fasteners for controlling the projection of the collars from the strip, second fasteners in said second bolt holes bottomed on the front face of said strip for threading into the stringer to mount the strip on the stringer, set screws threaded through said collars adapted to project into the collar apertures in biting engagement with a post carried by said collars to lock the post to the collars whereby said post can be moved to any desired level relative to the stringer and on the job adjustments can be made to align the post relative to the stringer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,266 McKee et a1 Dec. 11, 1906 1,106,279 Burrows Aug. 4, 1914 2,641,429 Kozak June 9, 1953 2,771,262 Laystron Nov. 20, 1956 2,820,613 Schilling Jan. 21, 1958 2,855,184 Moore Oct. 7, 1958 2,904,314 Thom Sept. 15, 1959 

